The First British Political Officer to enter Bhutan from the East: The Mission of Captain Robert Boileau Pemberton , 1838

 

A route of 1836 mission (photo credit: R. B. Pemberton, as depicted in Report on Bootan, 1838)

After the visits of Kishen Kant Bose Bhutan in 1815, Bhutan did not receive any mission from British India until 1838. However, Bhutan was embroiled in frequent internal strife and the territorial dispute with British India was far from over. Before 1826, Bhutan only had direct boundary contact with British India along the 11 duars of Bengal. The five duars of Assam were under Bhutan’s possession and in turn, Bhutan make an annual payment[1] to the Ahom ruler of Assam. The British at the time had no control over Assam. However, the aftermath of the Anglo-Burmese war (1824-1826) had significant impacts on the Bhutan-British friendship scenario. To give a brief background of the Anglo-Burmese war, Burma began its expansion towards the north and reached Assam by 1817. In the following years, the Burmese forces caused devastating damage and led to refugees pouring into British territory. This ultimately led to a full-scale war between the British and Burma. In 1826, the Burmese were defeated and the British fully took control of Assam. With the British taking control of Assam, Bhutan was now in direct border contact with the whole stretch of southern frontiers exacerbating the already territorial disputes.

After taking the control of Assam, the British’s pro-Bhutan policy began to decline. Until now, the British policy had been to favour Bhutan in hope of opening a trade relationship with China through Tibet via Bhutan. With the taking control of Assam and the defeat of the Burmese, the British no longer feel obliged to mollify Bhutan at the same time found it attractive to open trade routes to China. Besides, the existing arrangement of Bhutan paying an annual payment for seven duars continued even after 1826, but now to the British. However, the British were not pleased with the existing payment from Bhutan and there were frequent cases of cross-border raids and counter-raids from both parties. Since the British’s annexation of Assam in 1826, Anglo-Bhutanese friendship entered into a complicated phase. However, though there is no significant benefit from Bhutan, the British still hope to communicate with Tibet and China. In addition, even after four decades of friendship with Bhutan, the British could not fathom the complete geography and politics of the country. Significantly, although China had no influence on Bhutan in reality, the British feared the Chinese influence in Bhutan. Thus, to assess Bhutan’s political situation, particularly the presence of Chinese (Phuntsho, 2013), then governor-general, Lord of Auckland, George Eden (r.1836-1842) dispatched a mission to Bhutan in 1838 under Captain Robert Boileau Pemberton.

Pemberton was accompanied by the surgeon Dr W.M. Griffith (as well the Botanist), Ensign Blake, twenty-seven soldiers, and ninety assorted camp followers. Unlike his predecessors Bogle and Turner who set off from the south, Pemberton made his journey from the east of Bhutan in hope of exploring the unknown geography. Although Bhutan was not willing to receive any mission due to incessant internal strife, Pemberton and his party set out on 21 December 1837. Pemberton and his party reached Dewathang on 23 January 1838. From Dewathang, Pemberton travelled via Trashigang, Trashiyangtse, Lhuentse, Bumthang, Trongsa, Wangdi and Punakha. Although the mission was to take the route from Mongar, the envoy was advised to take a detour along Trashiyangtse and Lhuentse. At the time, Zhongar Dzongpoen along with his brother, then Dagana Penlop were rebelling against the Desi in Punakha. Though it took the envoy a longer time it allowed Pemberton to explore more unknown geography and people.

After a fortnight’s journey from Dewathang through Trashigang, Pemberton reached Tassyassee (Trashiyangtse) on 10 February 1838. From Trashiyangtse, the party crossed ‘Dhongla pass[2]’ and descended through the present-day Minjey towards Lhuentse Dzong. It was probably while descending the Dhongla pass, that Dr Griffith had a frightening experience of getting lost from the group amidst the dreary woods by approaching night.  After crossing Kooree (Kurichhu), they visited Lingee (Lhuentse Dzong) and met with the governor whom they described as a young man with a good-humoured countenance. From Lhuentse Dzong, they left for Bumthang via Tumashoo (Tangmachu) on 23 February 1838.

On 26 February 1838, after crossing Oongar village, Pemberton and his party ascended the snow-covered paths and crossed the Rodhungla[3] pass. Pemberton wrote while crossing the steep and narrow Rodhungla, “A gap between two rocks barely wide enough to admit a loaded pony” and observed one rock inscribed with the Buddhist syllable ‘Om Mani Padme Hum.’ Pemberton described the descent from Rodhungla pass as steep and difficult. It might be due to its steepness, it was said that even the lords would have to dismount from the pony while crossing Rodhungla and it gave rise to a prominent phrase which still is heard in the present days which goes:

སྐྱིད་སྡུག་སྙོམས་པའི་རོ་གདུང་ལ།།

གོངམ་དཔོན་གཡོག་མེད་པར་ས་ལས་མས།།

After ascending the Rodhungla, Pemberton and his party passed through Bumthang valley and Griffith wrote ‘Bhoomluntung’. The party very seemed to have enchanted by the beauty of Bumthang valley. Griffith wrote, “The valley altogether is a beautiful one, and actually repays one for the trouble endured in getting access to it. This valley is certainly the prettiest place we have yet seen, the left bank is particularly level, but neither is of much breadth, the hills adjacent present rounded grassy patches interspersed with beautiful groves of pines. The level space, as well as the more favourable sites on the slopes of the hills, are occupied by wheat cultivation, which is carried on in a more workman-like manner, than any of the previous cultivation I have hitherto seen.”

After visiting Jakar Dzong though the governor then was absent, they proceeded toward Trongsa on 4 March 1838. After crossing Yotongla, the party reached Trongsa and halted for a few days. They met with Trongsa Penlop and seems Pemberton and Griffith were not pleased with the treatment they received. Griffith wrote, “Although the second place in the kingdom, is a poor wretched village, the houses, always excepting the palace, are poorer than ordinary, abounding in rats, fleas, and other detestable vermin. Our reception would seem to be uncordial: we are miserably housed in the heart of the village, which is a beggarly one.”

A sketch by Griffith, probably before reaching Chendebji, 1838 (as depicted in journals of travels in Assam, Burma, Bootan, Afghanistan and the neighbouring countries, 1839)

Pemberton and his party left Trongsa on 23 March 1838 and crossed Mangdechhu after a steep descent. After days of journey, they arrived at Chendebji and described it as the most romantic and prettiest place ever seen on their journey. After crossing Pelela, and passing through Wangdiphodrang, Pemberton’s mission finally reached Punakha on 1 April 1838 and Griffith described Punakha as a most barren dried-up country. Despite the magnificent Dzong and its beauteous surrounding, it seems Pemberton and Griffith were not pleased with the treatment they received from the Desi. By the time mission arrived in Punakha, Dorji Norbu, the Penlop of Dagana and his brother Chakpa Sangay, the Zhongar Dzongpoen had already ousted the reigning Desi Chokyi Gyeltshen. Dorji Norbu became the 37^th Desi in Punakha. On the other hand, the supporters of Chokyi Gyeltshen had already installed Tashi Dorji, Dzongpoen of Thimphu to the throne and prevented the summer migration of the central government to Thimphu. In ensuing internal conflict, Pemberton met Desi Dorji Norbu on 9 April 1838. Pemberton also managed to meet young Dharma Raja Jigme Norbu a few days later. However, despite having a cordial meeting, Pemberton failed the negotiation and he was vexed by Bhutan’s disunity. Although Desi accepted the terms of the 12 points agreement, he did not sign the agreement on the ground of Trongsa Penlop’s rejection. Toward the end of Pemberton’s report, he wrote, “With such a government it is sufficiently evident that negotiation is utterly hopeless. Its nominal head is powerless and the real authority of the country is vested in the two barons of Trongsa and Paro who divide it between them.” Completely disappointed, Pemberton set off from Punakha to India on 9 May 1838. Pemberton neither could negotiate nor visit Lhasa from Bhutan. It was said that the fighting between the two factions, Dorji Norbu and supporters of Chokyi Gyeltshen resumed as soon as the mission left Punakha. The mission travelled through Thimphu, Chukha, and Buxa Duar and finally entered India on 19 May 1838.

Like his predecessor Kishen Kant Bose, Pemberton made an in-depth observation and detailed reports of Bhutan including central administration, vegetation, agriculture, economy, foreign relation, internal politics, and social life of the Bhutanese. In some cases, Pemberton made contrasting views of what Kishen Kant Bose observed in 1815. Although he gave a complete account of Bhutan, given the mistreatment received at the hands of the Bhutanese in the ensuing turmoil, his report was generally negative. However, at the EIC, Pemberton did not recommend the drastic policy of total annexation of all duars of Bengal and Assam since the Bhutanese economy was heavily dependent on the wealth and trade of duars. Instead, he recommended the governor to take control of Assam duars to punish Trongsa Peonlop as aggression on the British takes place under his jurisdiction and also Peonlop opposed the ratification of the treaty proposed. Pemberton also proposed establishing a British agent in Bhutan to check external influence and internal misrule.

Phuntsho (2013) wrote, “The Pemberton mission marked the end of the forbearing and pro-Bhutan policy the British adopted and the beginning of a strict and punitive approach.” For another two decades, the territorial disputes remained unabated and internal conflicts continued in Bhutan. In another milestone in history, the British dispatched a mission led by Ashley Eden in 1864.

 

Bibliography

Collister, P. (1987). Bhutan and the British. London: Serindia Publications.

Griffith, W., & McClelland, J. (1847). Journals of travels in Assam, Burma, Bootan, Afghanistan and the neighbouring countries (Vol. 2). Bishop's College Press.

Phuntsho. K. (2013). The history of Bhutan. India: Random House Publishers India Private Limited.

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[1] Annual payment to the Ahom ruler includes 37 tolas of gold, 37 bags of musk, 37 yak tails, 37 daggers, 37 blankets, 57 ponies, and 4785 Narrainee rupees (Phuntsho, 2013).

[2] Dhongla lies between Trashiyangtse and Lhuentse. It is an olden route for travellers between Yangtse and Minjey, Lhuentse.

[3] Rodhungla Pass lies between Maedtsho under Lhuentse and Tang under Bumthang. It is an olden highway used by travellers between Lhuentse and Bumthang. At the present, the pass is revived as a trekking route.